Posts Tagged PD
Here We Go Again… More Money for Billionaires
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on June 3, 2010
June 3, 2010… MMPI of Chicago is closing in on $100 million kitty thanks to hard-pressed Cuyahoga County taxpayers. Thanks, Timmy and Jimmy.
The Medical Mart quarter-percent tax passed by Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora with acquiescence of Peter Lawson Jones (the guy who can’t take public transportation home but needs a special tax-paid driver) delivered another $2.9 million in May. All for a good cause, right? Wrong.
That brings the total taxes collected for the Medical Mart/Convention Center to $97,359,348.55.
Do you think a newspaper with the resources of the Plain Dealer could tell us just how that money is now being spent? I do. Apparently its editors don’t, however. Because we never get an accounting. Waiting for the FBI, I guess. Twenty years from now.
County taxpayers – really smokers and drinkers – have contributed another $1.6 million in May. That brings the total since August 2005 to $66,233,782.20. A lot of money. But hell we have to help the billionaire Lerner family. Don’t we?
And smokers get hit for another $1.5 million in May for the Arts & Culture tax. It brings the total collected since Feb. 2007 to a cool $62,308,332.51. Think we could get the PD to give us an accounting of how this money has been doled out? Not a chance.
All these taxes by the way are regressive taxes. In other words, they weight most heavily upon those of us with small incomes.
County Commissioners can never think of a luxury tax that would hit the rich for these things they MUST have. Maybe the new reform County government will take a look at how to take from the rich instead of giving to the rich. Nah.
The total for the three regressive taxes, rounded off, is now more than $225 million. You paid it. You should know.
Wonder how many necessary products that would have bought and how many jobs it would have produced if not given mostly to help billionaire sports owners.
Let’s keep LeBron. Doesn’t matter what it costs. We must have him.
Do We Have a Real Leader at Cleveland City Hall?
Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Media, Politicians on May 30, 2010
May 30, 2010… EXTRA! EXTRA! We actually have a leader in City Council. Who’d thought it?
Second-term Councilman Brian Cummins takes his job seriously. That’s refreshing. He works the job.
It was Cummins who came out strongly – and did research – on the rotten no-bid China Mayor Frank Jackson tried to slide through City Council. And almost did with a 10 to 9 vote.
By stepping out Cummins deserves thanks and recognition.
Cummins is serious, not just a sound-bite guy.
But in the Cleveland news media people as Cummins are easily and often overlooked. I was glad to see that Dick Feagler had him on the show this week. Cummins did well, though he came on with sheets of information which he shuffled around. He needs some media advice.
Brent Larkin gave Jackson a pass in his column this week. Undeservedly.
“When the mayor discovered it was amateur hour within in his administration, he reverted to the real Frank Jackson. He did the right thing,” wrote Larkin.
I think the Mayor is in charge of his administration. He can’t shift the blame on his underlings.
The right thing was the pull back but it doesn’t mean necessarily that the China deal with Sunpu-Opto is out, as it should be. Maybe Jackson does deserve some credit for not pursuing a one-vote deal. However, in these days of public mistrust of politicians it would have been a disaster. It would have alienated a good number of Council members.
He also had the Plain Dealer against him and a veteran reporter, Mark Gillispie, quickly getting pertinent facts out to the public. Never underestimate what good reporting can do with a public issue.
Cummins and veteran Jay Westbrook, who often has been a go-along guy but rightly objected strongly on this deal, saved the city tens of millions of dollars.
A loser was Matt Zone. He wants to be Council President. But you have to show some independence. He failed. Zone, as did nine other members, wilted under pressure or simply went along to get along. Not the sign of a leader.
But the lesson that I doubt will be learned is this: Jackson made a rotten deal and too many at City Hall marched in step to support it. He shouldn’t be let off the hook and allowed to escape with “the process was flawed.” It was more than flawed.
Second, and very important, is that the administration’s top people – from what I can gather – law director Robert Triozzi, who said this no-bid deal smelled fine to him, and top aides, both from the White administration – Chris Warren and Ken Silliman – apparently went right along supporting a bad deal.
This is the kind of “loyalty” I long observed at City Hall. It makes for bad government. Top aides came to the table over and over again to sell shoddy goods to a compliant City Council.
There are ways to show that you’re not simply a “good soldier” for the administration and work for the people. However, it’s not often that you see people take opportunities to even undercut their own bosses for the public good.
I’ve seen it. But it’s very, very rare.